The present invention concerns a handpiece for surgical or medical use having an additional function as a remote control for at least one apparatus associated with the operation. The invention also concerns a corresponding control method.
This handpiece comprises a control or remote control function which operates by a modification of a flow rate, a pressure, or a depression, and more particularly a depression since in one embodiment, the handpiece is connected to a source of aspiration by at least one conduit coupled to at least one operation control sensor or detector.
The handpiece according to the invention is in particular, but not exclusively, of the type of handpieces known for dissection operations, and also for washing-rinsing operations, in the surgical and medical fields. Thus, the handpiece is connected by at least one conduit to a source of high-pressure or flowing sterile liquid. A high-pressure or flowing jet tube, which is connected to a generator or distributor of sterile liquid, cuts through the handpiece. Control is performed by means of suitable sensors or detectors sensitive to pressure, depression, or flow rate.
Also known are handpieces in which the high-pressure jet tube is coupled to a suction tube. The instruction that makes it possible to alternate or add the cutting and/or aspiration functions is generally generated by modifying a parameter external to the handpiece. As a consequence, the operator must divert his or her attention to manipulate a knob or give an instruction which cannot be executed in real-time. As a result, the operation is slowed down or the formulated instruction lacks in precision, and in some cases, the manipulation is defective or awkward.
The handpiece according to the present invention is intended in particular for surgical use. The handpiece according to the invention makes it possible to perform precise and efficient cutting because the surgeon can control, alternatively or simultaneously with the tip of his or her fingers and without effort, the high-pressure jet function and the aspiration or cleaning/aspiration function, as well as the jet flow, without diverting his or her attention.
Such a handpiece can also be utilized advantageously in micro-mechanical applications or in any other field where high-quality cutting is desired.
The pressure control of the high-pressure jet or of the flow rate is generally performed by means of one or several electric switches located on the handpiece and connected by one or several wire connections.
In addition to the control by electric switch or switches, manual controls and various direct mechanisms are known in which elastically lifted plungers, in the manner of a musical wind instrument, act directly on the conduits and connections carrying the sterile liquid so as to limit or stop the flow rate.
In the case of a control by means of electric switch or switches, the wire connections and the processing of the low-current electrical control signals can be marred by transmission defects, interferences or various disturbances associated with the electrical and radio-electrical environment in the operation location. These perturbations lead to involuntary modifications to the handpiece operation and power and liquid supply. These defects correspond to risks which can lead to serious consequences.
In addition, the presence and the assembly of these wire connections in the apparatus constitute a nuisance and a loss of time.
In the case of direct manual control by mechanical plungers, there are other drawbacks. This technology requires manufacturing small, precisely-dimensioned special elements and mounting them on the handpiece. Thus, manufacturing and assembly costs constitute a first drawback. Other drawbacks correspond to the necessity of disinfecting and sterilizing the handpiece, which requires disassembling and reassembling all these elements, with various risks, including the possibility of losing various small components.
A goal of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a handpiece comprising controls located in the area of the operator""s hand in the form of an opening or a manual pressure area of an open or closed conduit connected to a source of pressure or aspiration.
The pneumatic discontinuities or variations generated by temporarily sealing or freeing this opening or by a restriction resulting from a plastic or elastic deformation of the open or closed conduit by the operator are used for control at the level of the apparatus to which the handpiece is connected.
According to an essential characteristic, the handpiece according to the invention comprises, in addition to the high-pressure jet tube or the sterile liquid flow tube, one or several openings connected by one or several conduits to a source of pressure or depression, such as are available in operation locations, via sensors or detectors whose function is to inform the central unit of the apparatus that an instruction has been issued and is to be executed.
According to a preferred embodiment, these control openings are located on both sides of the high-pressure jet or liquid flow tube and open out symmetrically on the sides of the handpiece body.
According to another advantageous embodiment, these openings are located on ergonomic and anatomic conformations formed on the handpiece body in the area of the thumb and the forefinger of the operator so as to allow easy control with the fingers.
Control can be performed with the thumb alone and/or the forefinger of the operator which closes the opening of the control tube or tubes, or temporarily opens this opening which has remained closed, when the operator wants to send a control instruction. This control instruction is given quickly and easily without diverting the operator""s attention. It generates a pressure or depression discontinuity, and therefore, an air flow discontinuity. The sensors or detectors provide the information to the central unit of the apparatus, which interprets the information and executes the corresponding instruction.
An alternative solution consists in locating in these ergonomic areas at least one section of a deformable conduit having an open or a closed extremity, which the operator can easily collapse by pressing one of his or her fingers, or in which the operator can easily generate a temporary leak, so as to generate a pressure or depression discontinuity, which is interpreted as an instruction. The deformable conduit may be constituted, for example, by the aspiration or evacuation conduit which would be stopped during a short period.
The direct control by the operator""s hand allows higher precision and speed of the overall operation.
The pneumatic control is simple, clean, and insensitive to electrical and radio-electrical interferences, which are numerous in and around an operating room.
The present invention is also described in French Application No. 98/07732 filed on Jun. 17, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference.